Lid control for heavy containers



, Filed July 9, 1964 March 7, 1967 R. D. CAMPBELL 3,307,734

LID CONTROL FOR HEAVY CONTAINERS 2 Sheets-Sheet l I NVE TOR March 7,1967 R, D. CAMPBELL LID Filed July 9, 1964 CONTROL FOR HEAVY CONTAINERS2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent Olice 3,307,734 Patented Mar. 7,1967 poration of Delaware Filed July 9, 1964, Ser. No. 381,364 2 Claims.(Cl. 220-35) This invention relates to large, heavy containers andconsists particularly in novel control means for the lids or coversthereof.

The invention may be used advantageously in connection with the heavymetal containers of box-like construction now in common use in therefuse disposal industry. Such containers may have a volume of severalcu'bic yards and are used for the deposit of refuse pending collectionand disposal. Containers of somewhat similar construction are used forthe storage of excelsior and other inammable materials and for materialswhich must be protected against exposure to light, air, or other ambientconditions. In all of such applications, the large, heavy hinged coveror lid must be opened frequently. The Weight of the lid may range from40 to 100 pounds, and the effort required to raise such cover is anobjectionable feature of these containers. This is especially true Wherethe containers are so large that the lid is located above the level ofthe shoulders of a workman. Moreover, the lid, during opening, musteither be supported in its open position by the workmen or permitted todrop heavily against the side of the container with the resultantstraining and possible damaging of the parts.

Various attempts have been made to avoid these objectionable featuressuch as by the use of lighter Weight materials as-alumnum, the use ofcounterweights and various spring arrangements to offset or counteract aportion of the weight of the top, and the installation of smaller trapdoors within the main covers. The much higher cost of aluminum and itslack of strength compared to iron have proved to be deterrents to theuse of lighter metals. Springs and counterweights and small trap doorshave proven complicated, expensive, and generally unsatisfactory.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide arelatively cheap and dependable means of overcoming the objectionablefeatures of heavy iron container lids, as described above.

Another object is to provide novel means for breaking the fall of aheavy container lid into fully closed or fullyopened position.

Another object is to provide means for assisting in lifting of such alid from its closed or open position.

In accordance with the present invention, a torsion bar extends alongthe hinged edge of the lid coaxially with the hinge and has its endsprovided with right angle cranks which are connected, respectively, tothe lid and to the container wall. The offset ends of the torsion barare s disposed that the bar will be unstressed when the lid is in apartially opened position. The torsion bar will be twisted as the lid aseither further closed or further opened from this neutral positon so asto resist the fall of the lid. Since the torsion bar will be stressed inthe fully open or fully closed positions of the lid, its torsional forcewill tend to assist in the lifting of the lid away from such position.If desired, the resilience and twist of the torsion 4bar may be such asto itself initiate the opening of the lid so that a suitable latchingdevice will be required to hold the lid fully closed, fully opened, orboth.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate the invention:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a heavy metal container of the typedescribed and having a lid controlin accordance with the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, partial top view of the container, portions beingbroken away to show the underlying structure;

FIG. 3 is a side View of the parts in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged right-end view showing the structure in FIGS. 2and 3; and

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 but showing a modication. j

FIG. l shows a rectangular container having end walls 7, side walls 8and 9, and a hinged lid 10. Extending along the hinged edge of the lidis a torsion bar 11 which, in this instance, extends rotatably throughhinge eyes 12 secured to the lid and 13 secured to the container sidewall. However, if desired, the lid may be hinged to the container bodyindependently of the torsion bar which would then extend adjacent thehinges.

The torsion bar 11 has angularly disposed end parts 16 and 17, theformer extending along the lid or cover 10 and being firmly securedthereto by a bracket 1S which may be in the form of a sleeve secured tothe extreme end of the bar and welded to the metal of the lid framing.The other angular end 17 of the torsion bar is received Within a bracketgenerally designated 19 to be further described hereafter.Intermediately of the angled ends 16 and 17, bar 11 is provided withspaced wear sleeves 20 which are rotatably received in hinge eyes 12 and13 previously mentioned. Additional hinges may be provided along thetorsion bar if necessary.

Bracket 19 is secured to the end wall of the container as by clips 21,22, and 23. The relationship of angled ends 16 and 17 is such that inthe fully closed position of lid 1t), bar end element 17 is lodgedfirmly against end wall 24 at the extreme left edge oi'bracket 19 (FIG.4). In this position, the intermediate portion of the torsion bar willbe torsionally stressed a substantial amount, which is represented bythe arc A extending from the center line position 25 of the lid, just asend element 17 engages bracket end wall 24 and horizontal line 26paralleling the center line of the lid in its closed position. The upperedge wall 27 of bracket 19 is in such position that it is just engagedby bar end element 17 when the lid reaches the position as indicated bycenter line 28, the unimpeded travel of end element 17 through thebracket being represented by the arc B. Thereafter, during continuedfall of the lid towards the container side wall, the torsion bar -willbe oppositely stressed, as represented by the arc C between center line28 and depending line 29, the latter representing the fully openedposition of the lid. Thus, in both the fully closed and fully openedpositions of the lid, the torsion bar will be under torsional stress soas to tend to lift the lid.

The modification shown in FIG. 5 is generally similar. However, in thisinstance, the right hand angled end 31 of the torsion bar has anextremity 32 slidably received in a longitudinal slot 33 in a link 34which is pivoted at 35 to the end wall of the container. Lever 34 isshown in solid lines in the position it assumes when the cover is fullyopened. The lever is also shown in dot and dash lines at its oppositeextreme of movement which corresponds to the fully closed position ofthe cover. The arrangement of the linkage is such that the freeoscillation of angled end portion 31 of the torsion bar is limited tothe range indicated lby the arc D. The extremity 32 of the bar reachesthe upper end of slot 33 when the cover is approximately in the positionrepresented by the center line 37. During the remainder of the openingmovement of the cover, as represented by the arc E, the torsion bar willbe placed under twisting stress. During closing of the cover, theextremity 32 of the torsion bar will reach the outer end of slot 33 whenthe cover is in the position represented by the dot and dash center line38; and the remainder of the closing movement, as represented by the arcF, will be resisted by the torsional resilience of the torsion bar.

Where the angled ends ofthe torsion bar are the same lengths, there willbe no mechanical advantage between the cover and torsion bar. However, amechanical advantage may be built into the connection between thetorsion bar and cover, as by varying the lengths of the crank arms atthe ends of the torsion bar or by other suitable means. If desired, morethan one torsion bar may be provided, and these may be arrangedsymmetrically with respect to the cover. The torsion bar will be of suchsize and material as to withstand the torsional stressing as requiredwithout permanent deformation and the degree of twist, as determined bysize of bracket 19' in the first form and the design of the linkage inthe second form, will be adjusted accordingly. The arc of inaction B orD may be varied in extent or entirely eliminated. The invention may bemodified in these and other respects as will occur to those skilled inthe art, and the exclusive use of all modications as come within thescope of the appended claims is contemplated.

I claim:

1. A container having a box-like body and a heavy lid, hinge meansmovably securing an edge of said lid to the container body along oneedge thereof, a torsion bar eX- tending along said edges and havingoffset ends, one of said ends being secured to said cover and the othereX- tending along a wall of said body, said hinge means cornprisinghinge eyes projecting, respectively, from the juxtaposed edges of saidbody and cover and rotatably embracing said torsion bar which therebyserves as the hinge pin, and lost motion means securing saidlast-mentioned bar end to said wall for providing a range of opening andclosing movements of said cover unimpeded by said bar while causing saidbar to torsionally resist at least the terminal portions of the openingand closing movements of said cover.

2. A container having a box-like body and a heavy lid, hinge meansmovably securing an edge of said lid to the container body along oneedge thereof, a torsion fbar extending along said edges and havingoffset ends, one of said ends being secured to said cover and the otherextending along a wall of said body, and lost motion means securing saidlastmentioned bar end to said wall for providing a range of opening andclosing movements of said cover unimpeded by said bar while causing saidbar to torsionally resist at least the terminal portions of the openingand closing movements of said cover, said lost motion means comprising alever pivoted to the wall of said body and having a longitudinal slot,said last-mentioned bar end being slidably secured in said slot andlimited thereby in its oscillatory movements.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 50,411 10/1865Young et al. 220-35 251,591 12/1881 Jaeger 220-35 416,044 11/1889 Wise16-180 534,012 2/1895 Saunders 220-35 736,714 8/1903 Gendron 220-352,774,099 12/1956 Thomas 16-180 3,061,871 11/ 1962 Swanson 220-35FOREIGN PATENTS 146,619 5 1952 Australia.

633,937 8/ 1936 Germany.

1,021,754 12/1957 Germany.

THERoN E. CoNDoN, Primary Examiner.

JAMES R. GARRETT, Examiner,

1. A CONTAINER HAVING A BOX-LIKE BODY AND A HEAVY LID, HINGE MEANSMOVABLY SECURING AN EDGE OF SAID LID TO THE CONTAINER BODY ALONG ONEEDGE THEREOF, A TORSION BAR EXTENDING ALONG SAID EDGES AND HAVING OFFSETENDS, ONE OF SAID ENDS BEING SECURED TO SAID COVER AND THE OTHEREXTENDING ALONG A WALL OF SAID BODY, SAID HINGE MEANS COMPRISING HINGEEYES PROJECTING, RESPECTIVELY, FROM THE JUXTAPOSED EDGES OF SAID BODYAND COVER AND ROTATABLY EMBRACING SAID TORSION BAR WHICH THEREBY SERVESAS THE HINGE PIN, AND LOST MOTION MEANS SECURING SAID LAST-MENTIONED BAREND TO SAID WALL FOR PROVIDING A RANGE OF OPENING AND CLOSING MOVEMENTSOF SAID COVER UNIMPEDED BY SAID BAR WHILE CAUSING SAID BAR TOTORSIONALLY RESIST AT LEAST THE TERMINAL PORTIONS OF THE OPENING ANDCLOSING MOVEMENTS OF SAID COVER.